


Heartstrings

by InitialLook



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Hale/Felicity Smoak - Freeform, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-23 12:57:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2548292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InitialLook/pseuds/InitialLook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years have gone by since Felicity last saw Derek Hale. After a random run in, he's back in Starling City working the same case as Team Arrow, and slowly weaving his way back into her heart. And Oliver is not happy about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blast from the Past

**Author's Note:**

> So I know that this is not going to actually be Felicity's "origin story," but I was watching Teen Wolf the other day and a thought struck me - what if Felicity met Derek and Laura while she was at MIT. This is my take on it.
> 
> It's going to be Derek/Felicity and Oliver/Felicity... you'll have to wait and see who she ends up with.

Felicity snorted at Roy’s impression of Oliver as the Arrow as she reached over and swiped another chip from the basket. She dipped it in the queso in front of her as Thea claimed she could do a better impression.

 

Felicity giggled at Thea’s impression because at that moment Oliver walks into the restaurant. Thea grinned widely at him before falling into a fit of giggles with Felicity. Ever since the showdown between Oliver, Thea and Malcolm, Oliver letting Thea in on his secret life and the League taking Malcolm away, her and Thea had become good friends. Thea had become a part of Team Arrow much to Oliver’s protests, but once he could see how she could fight, he didn’t have much of a choice. Plus she had those stubborn Queen genes.

 

“How many margaritas in are they?” Oliver asked Dig in a quiet whisper once he got to the table. He shrugged off his jacket and sat down.

 

Dig shook his head, obviously amused.  Dig replied under his breath. “Roy has only had one, but these two got here early for happy hour. So I have no idea. Three? Probably four.”

 

Oliver watched the two women in his life continue to laugh. “Where’s Laurel? Isn’t she meeting us tonight?”

 

Thea broke away from the laughing with Felicity to reply. “She’s with Ted. I think on a date or something. Or beating the shit out of each other, I don’t really know the difference when it comes to those two.”

 

Oliver rolled his eyes. Ever since Ted was accused of murder and Laurel defended him, proving his innocence, things had been tense between the two of them. Laurel came clean to the Team about training with Ted, and Oliver and she had gotten into a blowout fight about it. He shook of his thoughts about Laurel and focused on the blonde at the table. “Hey,” his entire face softened.

 

Felicity smiled weakly back. “Hey.”

 

Roy immediately jumped into a story about training today with Dig, interrupting the awkward tension. He and Thea had surprisingly become friends again. Everyone knew Roy wanted more, but Thea wasn’t emotionally ready. Plus Thea had a weird flirtation/fighting thing going on with the DJ at the club.

 

To make things even more weird on the team, things still hadn’t gotten back to normal with Felicity and Oliver, not since their first date that ended in a literal explosion. Felicity pulled away more and more and Oliver hid under the hood as much as possible.

 

Also Ray Palmer was in the picture, not romantically, but always there as Felicity’s boss and, much to Oliver’s dismay, her friend. Recently he asked her to take on the position of the new head of Applied Sciences – help rebuild that division back up again. He told her she deserved it for recovering the entire tech from the explosion.

 

She liked Ray, she really did. He was a good CEO and extremely intelligent. And she saw the way he looked at her. During their witty back and forth banter, Ray would stop and comment on her beauty or brains or usually both. Yet, she continued to turn down his lunch and coffee invites. Something was holding her back. And it wasn’t her feeling for Oliver, but rather her loyalty to him. Oliver was still trying to get the company back, and she would continue to be on his side, till the end. Ray’s good looks and intelligence wouldn’t sway her.

 

Her eyes looked up and she found his stormy blue eyes staring at her. She quickly looked away. Thea caught hold of her hand and squeezed it. “Another marg?”

 

Thank god for Thea’s perceptiveness. Felicity shook her head yes. She called the waiter over and ordered another round for the table, including drink for Oliver. She also ordered more appetizers.

 

“Hey Felicity,” Roy said interrupting Dig’s story about baby Sara finally talking her first steps.

 

Felicity looked up from her plate of chips. “What’s up Roy?”

 

“There’s a guy who just walked in sitting at the bar and he keeps looking at you…”

 

She watched as Dig and Oliver’s eyes went to him, assessing threat level. Felicity would have to turn her head so she waited until they were done.

 

“Holy crap Lis. He’s hot. Like sex on legs,” Thea said nudging her in the shoulder. “If you don’t go over and talk to him, I will.”

 

Roy choked on his margarita, while Oliver growled slightly under his breath. Felicity craned her neck slightly so she could see him. He was grinning at the bartender, asking for double bourbon. Her eyes widened at the familiar jaw line and leather jacket. “I’ll be right back,” She immediately got up from the table.

 

“You go girl,” Thea whispered. Felicity ignored the young brunette and made her way over to the familiar face at the bar. The restaurant was pretty much empty minus a couple other tables, them, and now _him_.

 

He heard her heals and turned around on the stool. He grinned. It was the same heart-stopping grin she used to kiss.

 

“Derek,” she lets out in a breathy voice. She’s sure it’s because of shock. It had been five years since she had seen him. Her eyes went to his arms and chest. He was more built, if possible. The clean-shaven face she used to kiss now had thick stubble.

 

“Felicity, I thought that was you,” He said in his husky voice. “The blonde hair threw me off.”

 

Her hands went to her hair. She forgot she started dying her hair only after graduation.

 

“It’s been years,” He adds to the silence. _Years since you left and never called._ Felicity thought to herself. She could never be mad at him either. He had to go back home, his sister had been murdered. Hell, she encouraged him too. She remembers being so heartbroken, but having no right to feel so since they had only been together for eight months.

“What’s going on in there?” He asks pointing to her head. The question breaks Felicity from her inner thoughts.

 

Felicity let out a nervous laugh and did what she did best – let her mouth go off. “Still rocking the leather jacket and Henleys? Jesus, you arms look like they’re going to rip through your shirt. You’re even more built now, if that’s even possible. What are you doing in Starling City? Visiting? I mean yeah, probably visiting. How’s everything back home…”

 

She was rambling. Derek grabbed her arm gently and pulled him toward her. “Breath Smoak.”

 

She closed her mouth and bit her bottom lip. “Your rambling has gotten even worse, if that’s possible,” he added with normal sarcastic quip. God, she used to love those. 

 

Felicity blushed and looked away. “And I can’t believe I’m ever going to say it – I’ll deny it if every asked Smoak – but I missed it.”

 

She immediately looked back up. He was smirking, teasing her about her rambling, and missing her rambling. Her heart was about to pop out of her chest.

 

“Too late. Photographic memory, remember?” Felicity said with a small smile.

 

The corner of his lip turned up into a small smile. His green eyes were piercing into hers. Then his eyebrows creased. He had his serious face on. “So…I’m in town for a bit and I want to catch up. Maybe give you a five year late apology.”

 

“Apologize? You don’t have anything to…” Derek put his finger to her lips, shushing her. She remembers how he used to use his lips before. Mid-ramble, he would cut her off with a mind-blowing kiss. Now he uses his finger.

 

“Coffee? Tomorrow? When you’re a little more sober and your boyfriend doesn’t look like he’s going to throw a bread knife at me.”

 

“Boyfriend?” Felicity said in a confused tone. She turned back and saw Oliver glaring at both of them. “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend…”

 

Derek snorted in amusement before passing his phone to her. “Sure Smoak, I can smell his jealousy from here,” Derek said. He quickly changed the subject. “So coffee tomorrow? I know you have more coffee in your bloodstream than anything else so you must know the best coffee house in this city, so just text me the time and place.”

 

She rolled her eyes and put her phone number into his phone before texting herself from it. She handed the phone back. Without thinking she reached over and hugs him. He’s at her height sitting on the barstool. His hands skirt around her around and his face goes into her neck, nuzzling it like he used to. She sighs at the familiar feeling. “I’ll see you tomorrow Hale.”

* * *

Felicity walked back to the table as Derek paid for his drink and left the restaurant. Five years. He walks back into her life after five years and she’s a puddle, a total mess. As soon as she sat down, Dig raised an eyebrow, but Thea beat him to the question. In the most suggestive tone possible, she asked, “So, who was that?”

 

Felicity grabbed her margarita and takes a big gulp. She looked up and four faces were staring at her, expecting her to speak.

 

“Um… That was Derek,” Felicity mumbled into her drink. She took another greedy sip.

 

Dig choked on air. “ _College Derek? Love your of life Derek?_ ” There was an incredulous tone to his exclamation.

 

Felicity reddened even more. “I mean “love of my life” is a bit of an overstatement.”

 

Dig put his hands up. “Your words, not mine, remember?”

 

Felicity gnawed at her bottom lip. Her biggest nervous tell. Thea jumped forward in her chair. “Wait so you’ve been with him? In the biblical sense?”

 

Oliver got up from the table at that question and just, walks out of the restaurant. He clenched his fist, trying not to punch the wall. He heard her running out of the restaurant. She stopped when she saw him leaning against the brick wall. Oliver closed his eyes. This was his choice, his decision. He was the reason she’s not his right now.

 

He took a deep sigh and saw her standing in front of him. “I know, I know. I have no right to be jealous. That’s why I haven’t said anything. I just can’t hear it, okay?”

 

Felicity nodded, but she wasn’t accepting his reasoning. He could tell by the crease on her forehead. “But what if I move on Oliver? Will you just walk out of every conversation I have with Thea or Roy about another guy? Or what if I start to bring him to Lyla’s and Dig’s weekly Sunday dinners?”

 

Oliver watched her brain turning and words just came out of her mouth. She never fought him about him choosing to end things; minus the one fight they had after Sara’s death. Felicity accepted it, and went on living her life. He was expecting her to fight him on it, but she never did.

 

“I can’t keep doing this Oliver. It was so much easier when I thought my feelings were one sided, but you told me you loved me… well kind of – in reverse, but it was implied. But you only said it after we were over, after you decided we were over, I was just the one who said the words.”

 

She took a deep breath. “So I can’t keep waiting for you to be ready. I have to keep living my life, and that means I have to move on. And you have to figure out a way to be okay with it. Do you understand?”

 

Oliver nodded. His heart felt like it was tearing into pieces at the thought of her really moving on but it was for the best.

 

“Okay, I’m going back inside. You can come or stay out here, your choice,” Felicity said before turning on her heel and walking back inside.

 

Felicity sat back down in her seat and Oliver followed. She turned to the group. “Okay, so I met Derek my junior year of college…”

* * *

**_Flashback_ **

 

Felicity loved MIT. After feeling out of place, like an outsider living in Vegas her whole life, she finally felt at like she could be herself at MIT. She had great friends, a great apartment, and was kicking ass in classes. She also loved the vibe of the city. Boston was a college town and she and her friends were regulars at a bar called The Den, where the drinks were cheap and she could play pool and darts for free.

 

“Shit, Felicity, guess who just walked in? This is getting borderline stalker level…” Her friend Ava whispered as Felicity finished lining up her shot, sinking in two stripped balls.

 

Felicity looked up and her eyes widened. For the past three months, since their breakup, Cooper Sheldon was everywhere she was. It was way past borderline stalker and into full-blown stalker.

 

Felicity had met Cooper Sheldon in her sophomore software development class. She instantly fell for him and he in return introduced her to his world – filled with underground hacking. They were together for three months, before Cooper began to become too controlling, possessive.

 

When she won M.I.T’s annual underground hackathon, she was getting a lot of attention from the hacking community, Coop’s community. Other guys began to notice her, and that night, one guy danced with her. Cooper got so pissed that he roughly dragged her out mid-dance by her wrist. He spent the next 15 minutes yelling at her, calling her a slut, telling her that he owned her while she was cradling a sprained wrist. Felicity dumped him right there on the spot.

 

Since then, he has mysteriously been showing up every place she is: outside her classrooms, the cafeteria, and the same bars. Felicity bit her lip, her pulse racing in fear. She turned to Ava, “Remember when I said I wasn’t going to drink tonight? Screw it. If he’s here, I need a drink. I’ll be right back.”

 

Ava laughed as she walked away from the pool tables. She gnawed at the bottom of her lip, trying not to draw blood. She looked around, trying to keep an eye out for Cooper. “What can I get for you?”

 

Felicity jumped at the voice and turned around to face the bartender. Her eyes widened. In front of her stood an Adonis. A freaking Greek God or something. Her mouth opened and then closed.

 

“You’re not Adam.” _No shit Felicity. State the obvious._ She thought to herself.

 

He raised an eyebrow in question. “I mean, obviously you’re not Adam. Adam is scrawny, and has piercings and tattoos, and very much gay.” She stopped herself. “I mean you could also be gay, and there would be nothing wrong with that, but scrawny you are not… Look at you. You’re huge. Muscular wise. Not fat, obviously. And not Adam… I’m babbling,” She blushed. “Did he get fired?”

 

He look at her amused through her ramble, occasionally raising an eyebrow. He finally replied, “Adam got promoted. He’s assistant manager now. I just started last week. So what can I get for you?”

 

“Lemon drop,” Felicity squeaked out. Her eyes went back to his arms and chest. That was not normal, those muscles. There had to be steroid involved she thought.

           

A girl slid up next to her and said, “Derek, I’m going to head home, okay?”

 

Felicity turned to the new girl at the bar and her voice dropped, “So you know the new bartender? Do you know if this Derek’s drinks are as good as Adam’s? I mean obviously eye candy wise, Derek wins… but making drinks, that trophy is still up for grabs.”

 

The girl laughed. “I’m mean, I’m a little biased. I’m his older sister,” she held out her hand. “Laura Hale. And between you and me, Adam interviewed Derek personally so I’m sure his drinks will match your high expectations.”

 

She blushed again, before taking Laura’s hand and shaking it. “Felicity Smoak,” Her eyes went to her pink and brown uniform. “Oh you work at The Cupcakery. I love love their cupcakes. It’s probably what caused the freshmen 15 for me. I mean, more like the freshmen 20. College does th…”

 

“Felicity!” A voice interrupted her ramble. “I didn’t realize you would be here.”

 

_Liar._

 

She tensed up immediately, fear trickled in again. She turned around and saw Cooper standing behind her. “Cooper. What a coincidence to see you here…” She said coolly.  “Again.”

 

Cooper grinned. “Yeah, Felicity, can we talk? I miss you.”

 

Derek set a drink down in front of her, and she could hear Laura whispering something to he brother. “Stop! Coop. Just stop. This is full on crazy stalker. Leave me alone. I notice okay! You outside my classroom, apartment, at the same bars I end up going to me. Stop following me. Stop hacking into my Facebook. Stop pinging my phone’s GPS. Just stop!”

 

Felicity grabbed her wallet and set her credit card on the counter. She had her back turned to Cooper now and was hoping he’d walk away. “Tab please,” She told Derek.

 

Derek nodded, before shooting a glare at the boy standing behind her.

 

Cooper took a step closer to her and said so quietly so only she would hear. She tensed when his body was up against hers. “You really think this is stalking Lis? Who’s going to believe this is stalking when we’re the same major so it just happens that we see each other a lot. We used to date. Nobody is going to believe shit from you.”

 

Felicity felt a rush of anger go through her and she took her elbow and slammed it into Cooper’s nose. She turned around and kneed him in the balls and he fell to the ground. “Stay the fuck away from me. Or I will get a restraining order.”

 

He was moaning in pain as blood came out of his nose. Felicity grabbed her drink and stepped over his body before making her way back to Ava.

 

She could hear Laura let out a low whistle before saying, “I like her Der.”

* * *

**Flashback Continued**  

 

Over the next few weeks, she met Laura up for coffee a few times. Felicity learnt that Laura and Derek left their small town after a fire burned down their house and family. They had been in New York for the past five years, before deciding they needed a change of scenery. Felicity in return told Laura about growing up in Vegas, her father abandoning her family and her mother becoming an addict. Felicity only hung out with Laura though, never Derek.

 

The next time she saw Derek, he kissed her.

 

Her and Ava were at The Den again with a big group from their coding class. Finals were over and they needed to go out and celebrate. Three shots into the night, Felicity stepped away from the group to go the ladies room. She tripped over a beer bottle on the floor, and couldn’t catch her balance, until a pair of strong arms caught her and steadied her.

 

“Whoa, you okay?” A familiar voice asked.

 

Felicity look up and saw Derek looking at her with a worried glance. She put a hand over her heart dramatically and said, “You saved me from a face plant. My hero.”

 

Derek chuckled and let go of her shoulders. “After last time, you don’t strike me as a type of girl who needs saving.”

 

Felicity flashes back to her elbowing Cooper and blushes. “Yeah, that was very out of character of me. I’m not a violent person normally. I prefer to get back at people by putting them on the no fly list or distributing their private emails or gchats.”

 

Derek looks shocked again. And Felicity starts rambling. “I mean, not that I would do those things. I’ve only put one person on the no fly list before, but my mom’s ex-boyfriend deserved it. Honestly I have no idea where that “elbow, knee him where it hurts” thing came from. I mean I took a self-defense class once, but that’s it. I grew up in Vegas so the class was a requirement of my high school, but since that one class, never been viol…”

 

She squeaked, because suddenly he had pushed her against the wall and was kissing her. She melted into his lips and kissed him back. She pulled away and whispered, “Did you just do that to shut me up or because you wanted to? Because if it was to shut me up, although not good motivation, it was very effective.”

 

Derek grinned and kissed her again. “A little bit of both.”

 

Felicity giggled. “I can understand the shutting me up, but wanting to? You have barely said more than three sentences to me since we’ve met and I’ve probably babbled enough to annoy any sane person…”

 

Derek leaned in again to kiss her. “I’ve got to get back to the bar, but listen, I want to take you out of a date.”

 

Felicity opened her mouth and then closed it. Like a fish out of water. “Um. You want to go on a date with me? I mean you’re, um you. And I’m…”

 

“Going to be ready at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow,” Derek said still grinning at her. He walked back to the to the bar and started serving customers.

 

Felicity walked into the restroom, still shocked. She pulled out her phone and texted Laura.

 

 ** _Your brother is the weirdest person I’ve met._** She sent the text.

 

Two minutes later, while washing her hands, her phone beeped. She wiped her hands and grabbed it out of her pocket.

 

 ** _Did he finally ask you out?_** Felicity reread the text three times. She was so confused. Did the Hales talk about her?

 

 ** _I’m way too confused and tipsy right now, but you owe me an explanation missy._** Felicity walked out of the bathroom and back where her friends were.

* * *

**Flashback Continued**

 

Apparently Derek liked her from the moment he saw her. She knew it was cheesy. But those were Laura’s words, not hers. But because his history with women hadn’t been so great in the past, according to Laura, he didn’t make a move that first night they might at The Den. So instead Laura started to get to know her.

 

“You were using me?!? To get to know me for your brother,” Felicity exclaimed as she rummaged through her closet. “To what? See if I was good enough? That’s messed up!!”

 

Laura sat on Felicity’s bed flipping through a magazine. “Well, because he was nervous and he’s my brother. I wanted to make sure you weren’t psychotic. But then, I mean, I actually think you’re awesome and like hanging out with you. So I gave him a push and told him he should stop being a pussy and ask you out. So you’re going on a date with an awesome guy and have me as an awesome friend. So stop over analyzing Smoak.”

 

Felicity fell back onto the bed. “I have nothing to wear. I don’t own date clothes for someone like your brother. I mean hello, he looks like he belongs in a magazine, as an underwear model or something. And I look like – ugh nerdy me.”

 

Laura got up and walked over to Felicity’s closet. “First of all, ew. He’s my brother, not a model.” She grabbed a pair of blue skinny jeans and threw them at Felicity. “And second of all, yes you’re a total nerd. Revel in it, instead of being all insecure about it.” Then she grabbed an black, semi-sheer top and tossed it on the bed.

 

“There. Outfit picked. Wear your combat boots and you’re good to go,” Laura flopped back on the bed.

 

Felicity groaned. She grabbed the clothes and went into her closet. After throwing on the outfit, she did a twirl. Laura whistled. She went to put in her contacts, and exclaimed, “This is going to be a disaster. I talk too much. I’ll probably make way too many sexual innuendos…”

 

Laura smirked. “That you do, but he likes that about you. You’re honest. With all that rambling, well babbling, you’re pretty much one of the most honest people we’ve both met in a long time.”

 

 Felicity grabbed her wavy brunette auburn hair and started to put it up in a messy bun. “So are you going to fill me in on these past horrendous relationships he’s been in?”

 

Laura shook her head no. “He’ll do that, if and when he’s ready.” She walked over and leaned down. “You know, you’d look amazing as a blonde? I could dye it for you if you want. I mean later this weekend. Not before the date since he should be here any second.”

 

Felicity rolls her eyes. “After dying it black last year and then back to my natural hair color, i don't think my hair could take it. Plus, my mom dyes her hair blonde so I will never do that. Trust me, I want to be nothing like her.”

 

“Hair color doesn’t define your personality Felicity...” Laura added in.

 

Felicity’s doorbell rings. She turns to Laura. “Okay, here we go. Wish me luck!”

 

**_End Flashback_ **

* * *

Felicity was all smiles once Diggle dropped her off back home. She landed on her bed with a bounce. She grabbed her phone and sent a text to Derek, giving him the location and time for tomorrow.

 

Maybe him being in town is exactly what she needed.

* * *

**_Flashback_ **

 

“God, I hate you!” Felicity laughed as Derek’s fingers made his way to her belly, tickling her. Felicity squirmed deeper into the couch. She kept giggling. “Derek! Stop.”

 

Derek chuckled, “You hate me huh?” His fingers dug more into her side. “Now that’s not very nice.”

 

 “God yes, so much,” Felicity said with a smile. “I hate you so much.”

 

 Derek leaned down and kissed her. “No you don’t.”

 

His hands moved from her waist to her thighs. He kissed her again. She moaned into his mouth. She let out a breathy, “No I don’t.”

 

Derek hands recoiled and he immediately got up with a start. “So what do you want for dinner?”

 

Felicity’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you always do that?” Her eyes were filled with hurt. “We’ve been seeing each other slash dating, whatever you want to call it, for a couple of weeks now, and every time we get even past a few kisses, you immediately pull away and bring up something else.”

 

Derek leans over and cups Felicity’s face. He’s shocked to see its embarrassment splashed across her face. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you…”

 

Felicity closes her eyes, before opening them and focusing them on her lap. She takes a big gulp before asking, “Is it that I’m not sexy enough? Or that I talk too much?”

 

Derek rolled his eyes. “I’m crazy attracted to you. And I love hearing you talk. It’s just hard for me… I’m not very good at this kind of thing Felicity.”

 

“And you think I am? My last boyfriend sprained my wrist and ended up stalking me. The one before? Cheated on me with my best friend. I don’t have the best of luck with relationships either Derek.”

 

“That’s different than…” He paused, before getting up and grabbing the bottle of bourbon sitting on the counter. He poured himself a glass and downed it. “My first girlfriend, the first person I fell in love with – she um died. I can’t… I’m not ready to talk about it.”

 

Felicity stares at him, almost looking sad, but mostly inquisitive, trying to hold in all the questions she had. She nodded her head for him to continue. “The next and last girl I was with, she used me. She made me believe she loved me, then she burned down my house with my entire family in it…”

 

Felicity gasped. “Oh my god. Derek. Laura told me about the fire, but I had no idea…”

 

Derek’s felt like a building was on top of his chest. He whispered, “That’s because Laura doesn’t know that Kate did it. I haven’t told anyone…It was my fault. I just…”

 

A lone tear fell down his cheek. Felicity wiped it away and pulled him into a hug. “You know it’s okay to let someone else in. All this guilt Derek, you can’t have it rest all on your shoulders. I’m here for you. I can share some of that weight. You can trust me. I’m not just going to disappear.”

 

Derek opened his eyes and she swears they flashed blue. “Derek… what?”

 

One side of Derek’s mouth tips into a small smile. He pushed her back into the couch and crawled on top of her. “Felicity. [kiss] Smoak. [kiss] Will you [kiss] be my girlfriend[kiss]?” He asked in between kisses.

 

Felicity grinned into his lips. “Hmm. Let me think about that,” Felicity paused to think. Derek nuzzled her neck, making Felicity giggle. “Okay, okay. I guess I’ll be your girlfriend. Now, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but no more talking. Now are you going to ravage me? Or should I find another man to do the job?”

 

Derek growled picking Felicity up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “You’re mine Smoak. Nobody else’s.” 

 

“Take me to the bedroom and prove it to me,” Felicity nibbled on his ear.

* * *

**Flashback Continued**

 

Things changed from then on out. Felicity spent Christmas and New Years with Laura and Derek, claiming she hadn’t been back home for the past two, so this one wouldn’t make a difference.

 

Then spring semester of her junior year started and Felicity started noticing something off about the Hales. Both of them, when they hugged her, nuzzled her neck with their noses. Every single hickey on Derek would disappear after half an hour.

 

Derek’s sense of smell, taste, sight was insanely accurate. Then there was the flashing of blue eyes. She had only seen Derek do it a couple of times, but she swears she saw his green eyes flash bright blue.

 

So she asked him one day. Why his eyes flashed blue, how he could smell things that nobody else could, why hickeys went away so quickly on him.

 

Derek paused as he was chopping up vegetables. He set the knife down and cocked his hip against the counter. He yelled across the apartment, “Laura!”

 

Laura came running in and saw Felicity’s curious and confused face and Derek’s panicked one, and she knew instantly what had happened.

 

Laura came over and sat in the chair in front of Felicity, “What do you want to know Felicity?”

 

She picked up her pen she was doing homework with and bit the end. A common nervous habit of hers. “I want to know what’s going on. I’m not dumb. Actually I have an insanely high IQ: the blue eyes, the crazy senses, the insane healing…”

 

Laura flashed her red eyes to Felicity making her jump out of her chair. “So we’re werewolves.”

 

Felicity’s mouth opened and then closed. She looked from Derek to Laura. Derek groaned opening the freezer and grabbing a tub of mint chocolate chip. “Was that necessary Laura? Do you even know what tact is?”

 

He handed the pint to Felicity with a spoon. “Here, it’ll help deal with shock.”

 

Felicity stared at Derek like he was from outer space. She grabbed the spoon and stuffed an obscene amount of mint chocolate chip in her mouth. Chew. Sallow. Repeat. After a few bites she looked up and said, “So werewolves… that actually makes a lot of sense.”

 

 Derek’s head snapped around in shock. “You. It. What?”

 

 Laura let out a chuckle before letting a sigh of relief. “Well, since Derek can’t form words right now. I’ll do that talking. There’s a reason I’m the alpha little brother. I’m guessing your curious mind has a million more questions, so rapid fire, go.”

 

Felicity looked up. She inhaled and let her train of thought come out, “So actually wolves or wolf like humans? Why red and blue, what’s the difference? Alpha, like leader, what does that entail? How did this happen, were you guys born this way or bitten? What’s with the neck nuzzling? If you heal, how do you have tattoos?” Felicity took a deep breath and Laura held up her hand.

 

“Derek, go get the bourbon. This is going to take awhile.”

 

So they told Felicity everything. How they were born werewolves. How it’s rare to transform into an actual wolf, but Laura could. The only other person they knew that could do this was their mother. The red eyes signify an alpha. There was only one alpha in a pack. The neck nuzzling indicates them acknowledging her as pack.

 

Felicity licked her spoon finishing off the pint of ice cream. She pointed her spoon at Derek, “You still never explained why your eyes flash blue then. Red means Alpha, so does blue means beta?”

 

 Derek looked away ashamed. Laura took the spoon from Felicity. The entire room turned somber. Felicity looked form Laura to Derek. She hit a sensitive issue apparently. “What? What did I say?”

 

 Laura leaned over. “Felicity,” Laura lowered her voice even though she knew Derek could hear her. “Werewolves naturally have golden-yellow eyes. They only turn blue after we take the life of an innocence.”

 

 Felicity’s mouth opened forming an “oh” expression. Her heart clenched for the male in the room, but she knew sympathy was not what he needed. She got up and walked around to where Derek was standing. His arms were braced against the counter. Felicity ducked under one arm and cupped her hands around his cheeks. “Der, show me. Please.”

 

 “No,” He let out hoarsely. He began to pull away but Felicity reached up and nuzzled into his neck. She turned around for back up, but noticed Laura was gone from sight.

 

 “I don’t think you’re a monster, okay?” Felicity let out under her breath. “I’m not scared of you!” She said with more confidence this time. That did the trick.

 

 Derek’s face shifted, his sideburns grew out, his ears became pointed, his fangs came out and his eyes flashed blue. “Then you’re an idiot,” He growled.

 

Felicity bit her lip, and reached up, fingers skirting his face. She traced every bump, then reached down to his hand and examined his claws. She leaned up and kissed his cheek on the right side, then the left side, and then lightly on his lips. Her tongue darted out and traced his fang.

 

She pulled back and whispered, “Then I’m an idiot.”

 

Derek shifted back to his human form, his eyes filled with confusion. “How are you so okay with this?”

 

Felicity shrugged. “Maybe because I love you,” Felicity added nonchalantly. “You’re not a monster Derek. Stop thinking of yourself as one.”

 

Derek’s eyes flashed blue again. He pulled her into a searing kiss, his hands digging into her hips. After what seemed like minutes, Felicity pulled back for air, taking a deep breath. Derek let his forehead rest against hers. “I love you too Smoak.”

 

**_End Flashback_ **

* * *

 

 


	2. Meet & Greet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for being late. I thought I could work 10 hour days and get a chapter up every couple of days. That's not going to work. I'm going to aim for a chapter a week now - a more achievable goal. 
> 
> Also the idea for the supernatural big bad was taken from an episode of Supernatural and will be changed, just a bit. Hope you all like it. Please leave a comment or kudos below!

She sat at a table near the window, people watching while waiting for Derek to show up. Her eyes followed the busy street in Starling City, soon to be Star City if Ray had anything to say about it.

 

Her hands were clutched around her coffee mug, but actually itching to grab her tablet out of her purse. There have been eight violent murders in the past two weeks, all with one connecting factor – a raised level of oxytocin in the blood of the supposed murderers. The SCPD questioned the murderers, but all the stories didn’t seem to make sense. A man murders his wife. A mom kills her own son. A brother kills his own brother. The list went on. All of them, when questioned, didn’t have a motive or reasoning and appeared confused. Lance called Felicity for the teams help and the only thing they had found so far is that every single murderer had been drugged with high levels oxytocin, the love hormone. The idea made Felicity laugh. The love hormone was making people commit murders. It made no sense whatsoever.

 

She looked back out the window and saw Derek standing by the coffee shop door. She sat up to wave, but paused. He was arguing with someone. The guy with him was younger, maybe 18 or 19. Derek rolled his eyes at the younger guy before reaching for the coffee shop door. The guy reached out and grabbed Derek’s arm. Her eyes followed the action and she noticed two black lines were tattooed around his upper arm. He was really muscular, nowhere close to Derek, but definitely werewolf level muscular. Derek pulled his arm back and opened the coffee shop door, ignoring the younger man.

 

He walked in, anger still exuding off him. His lips tugged into a smile and his frown left his face when he saw her waiting for him. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” He sat down.

 

“All of,” Felicity looked down at her phone. “…seven minutes late? I’m appalled!” Felicity teased.

 

Derek chuckled, “Well it was late enough for you to already finish a cup of coffee. Let me grab you another.”

 

Felicity opened up her mouth to protest, but Derek was already at the counter ordering. She glanced out the window again and nearly jumped out of her seat. The same guy was standing on the sidewalk on the opposite said of the street, arms crossed, glaring at her. She looked away immediately and then back up. The guy flashed his eyes red at her before turning around and walking away. She stared at the empty spot, wondering if that had really just happened, or if she just imagined it.

 

Derek set a mug down in front of her before sliding into the chair opposite. “Did I remember it right?” He asked as she took her first sip.

 

She laughed and nodded. “I’ve been drinking a double shot lately, because I haven’t been sleeping much, but yeah… you remembered it right.” She paused and then just asked what she was thinking. “So what was that about out there? The argument with that guy. It looked pretty heated.”

 

Derek took a sip from his tea and shrugged. “That was Scott. He’s um a friend, more like a brother,” Derek said genuinely. He paused trying to think of what to say. “And I just bailed on plans to meet you. So he just got upset.”

 

Felicity cocked her head to the side and gave him her disbelieving look, but she didn’t call him out. Instead she decided to send out another shot. “So apparently there is supposed to be an apology?”

 

Derek’s eyes widened. “So no small talk then?”

 

Felicity looks away embarrassed. She had never been one for small talk, Derek knew that. She closed her eyes and thought of those amazing months with Derek. She remembers forming what felt like a lifelong friendship with Laura. Then one day, Laura left to go out of town. She told Felicity and Derek she had to go meet another wolf pack that was looking for the Hale family. It was apart of her alpha duty, she claimed.

* * *

 

**_Flashback_ **

 

Felicity fell back on the bed panting, trying to catch her breath. “You’re so good at this. You should go pro or something.”

 

Derek chuckled from beside her. “Don’t discredit yourself. It takes two you know.”

 

Derek was dozing off, but she was still wide-awake. Laura had been gone for two weeks and the entire time, Derek had been staying with her, claiming his apartment felt too empty and he wanted to be near pack. Felicity was not complaining since the weeks had been filled with amazing, mind-blowing sex. Felicity scooted closer to him and nuzzled her neck into hers. Derek mumbled, “God Smoak. That was two times? And now you want more. You’re insatiable.”

 

Felicity didn’t say anything; instead she bite down on his neck. “You can’t handle it Hale?” Felicity teased, putting half of her body on his. Her hand slid down his body, under the sheet, to his dick. She stroked him a few times, before he growled and flipped her over so he was on top.

 

Felicity’s eyes widened noticing his eyes were blue and his fangs were out. “You are such a little minx,” Derek said as his fangs retracted. He kissed her neck and then shoulders.

 

She let out breathy sounds, when suddenly Derek was pulling away wheezing. He fell off the bed, and couldn’t catch his breath. Felicity jumped up. “Derek? What happened?”

 

He was panting and when he looked up, she saw tears in his eyes. “Laura…” He let out in between gasps. “She’s… I can’t…” He began looking around like crazy until he found his phone. Felicity rubbed circles on his back trying to calm him down as he dialed Laura’s number. It rang and rang before going to voicemail.

 

“Derek,” Felicity cupped his cheek. “Tell me what’s going on.”

 

Derek’s breathing calmed down, just a bit. He let out. “It’s a werewolf thing.” Tears were streaming down his cheeks. “You can feel when a member of your pack… dies. Laura... she can’t be…”

 

Derek turned away from Felicity and tried Laura’s number again. Voicemail. He threw his phone on the floor and cried. Felicity pushed her face between his shoulder blades, right where his triskele was inked, and wrapped her arms around him.

 

Tears were streaming down her face too. She doesn’t remember falling asleep.

 

When she woke up, she’s alone. There’s a note on her pillow:

 

_Felicity, I went to my apartment to pack up. I have to find out what happened._

 

He didn’t sign it. Felicity felt her heart stopping. He was leaving. She knew as soon as he said the words – “Laura’s dead,” he would leave. And she would stay here to finish her last year at MIT. She got dressed quickly and sat down at her computer. An hour later, she unplugged her USB, got into her car. She drove over to Derek’s, hoping he was still there.

 

She wasn’t going to stop him. In her heart, she wanted to, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to. She unlocked the apartment door using the key Derek gave to her. Derek had a duffle bag and two suitcases packed and by the entryway. He was on the phone when she walked in. “No, I will continue to pay the lease until it’s up. The stuff? I don’t care what happens to it,” Derek said into the phone. _His landlord,_ Felicity realized.

 

She picked up a picture frame with a picture of her and Derek off the coffee table. Laura had taken it. Derek was grinning while carrying Felicity piggyback style and she was laughing. It was one of her favorites. He wasn’t taking it with him. That stabbed her heart a little bit more than the fact that he was leaving. She grabbed the picture out of the frame and stuck it in her purse.

 

Derek hung up the phone and his eyes softened when he saw her. “Hey. Should’ve known you’d come by,” He told her. “I just, I have to go Felicity. It wasn’t an accident.”

 

He said that with such confidence. It made Felicity frown slightly. “How do you know that?”

 

Derek braced his arms against the chair in front of him. “I just do, okay,” he said with frustration. “I can feel it. I don’t know where to start looking. She obviously didn’t go to Seattle to meet that pack.”

 

Felicity took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Okay. I’m not going to stop you Derek. I’m here to help you.” He looked surprised. She handed him the USB.

 

“This has everything I’ve found. I traced her phone to Beacon Hills. That’s where she’s been for the past two weeks. I’ve included every place she’s swiped her credit card, any street camera’s that have caught her image in the past two weeks. It’s enough information to help you get started. Local police don’t know anything yet…”            

 

She was interrupted mid-ramble with Derek pulling her into a big hug. “I’ll call you, I promise.”

 

He never did.

 

**_End Flashback_ **

* * *

 

Felicity looked at Derek who was nervously rubbing his hand against his neck. “I know you were probably upset that I never called…” Derek mumbled.

 

Felicity snorted and rolled her eyes. He paused, scrunching his face in wonder. “Do you really think I was mad at you for not calling me? Like some heartbroken teenager?”

 

Derek looked hurt a that comment. He opened his mouth to say something, but Felicity held up her hand. “No. Here’s the truth Derek. Listen to my heartbeat if you need to. The truth was it hurt like hell when you left, but I knew why you were doing it and I understood. I mean, would I have liked you to have called me once in a while and told me that you missed me? That those eight months actually meant something to you?”

 

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Derek tried to interrupt her again. She spoke quickly before he could. “Of course I did. I loved you. But that’s not what hurt the most. The thing that broke my heart into pieces, was that she was my pack too, okay? My alpha too! I loved her like a sister. And I never found out what really happened to her. I gave you direction, led you back home to Beacon Hills…”

 

Felicity felt tears forming in her eyes. She tried to hold them in. “I just wanted a call - hell an email, a letter, a postcard, anything - giving me closure about what happened. I lost her, and then I let you go. I honestly felt a part of your guy’s pack, and I lost that,” Felicity was crying now. “For three years Derek, I was without a pack, an omega.”

 

Until the team, Felicity had felt like that. But now she was a part of her own pack of vigilantes. She furiously wiped her tears away.

 

Derek’s eyes were filled with guilt. He reached over and wiped a tear off her cheek. He got up and pulled her into a hug. “I can’t even begin to… I’m so sorry Felicity,” He couldn’t find the words to apologize. His mind kept going back to that number though – three years. They hadn’t seen each other for five though. “I can tell you now. Let’s talk a walk, and I’ll tell you what happened with Laura.” 

 

The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. Telling her about Laura meant telling her about Scott and the rest of the pack, which he wasn’t sure was going to make her feel better. Felicity nodded eagerly when her phone when off. Lance’s ringtone. She looked up at Derek, and then back at the phone. She grabbed the phone and answered.

 

“Captain Lance, still getting used to saying that,” Felicity smiled into the phone. “What can I do for you?”

 

_“I’m still getting used to it as well Ms. Smoak. There’s been another murder. I can get you into the crime scene. Just you Ms. Smoak. It’s too bright for The Arrow to be popping into crime scenes. You have to get here soon though,” Lance lets out a tired sight. “I’m telling you right now Felicity, I’m not seeing a pattern.”_

 

Felicity looked up at Derek who was staring at her with a curious look. Shit. He could hear Lance. His eyes narrowed when Lance brought up The Arrow. Felicity lowered her voice, but knew it didn’t matter. “Is the killer still there? I’ll bet you $100 they have a high level of oxytocin in their blood stream. That’s your pattern Captain. Text me the address. I’ll be there.”

 

Lance was right. It was too bright for Oliver to put on the suit, so she would have Dig drive her instead. It was normal for her and Dig to be seen around, especially since he was security at QC. She texted Dig to come pick her up ASAP. Derek was looking at with a small amount of shock. “You work for the police? And who’s The Arrow?” He blurted out.

 

Felicity paused and tried to slow down her heartbeat. He didn’t know who the Arrow was. He was from a small town she reminded herself. “Sort of. I’m kind of a consultant for the police.” Not entirely a lie. Derek wouldn’t notice. “And he’s nobody important.”

 

Lie. Total lie. He heard it. She keeps a look out for Diggle’s car. Derek cocked his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows. He looked conflicted. He wanted to push her about her lying, but instead he leaned forward and asked, “What do you know about these murders Felicity?”

 

Felicity drank the rest of her coffee and shrugged. “I can’t really say much,” She replied, her eyes focused on the outside window. “I sign a waiver.” Lie again.

 

Derek growled under his breath, making Felicity jump. She jerked her head around, her mouth open like she was going to spill out all her secrets. She closed her mouth immediately after realizing what his growl made her do. They were still connected – pack wise. That shocked Felicity. And his growl – it was almost alpha-like, trying to get her to say or do something. But not quite.

 

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Something’s different about you,” she stated. “You’re stronger. You can hear better. You’ve even hear my half lies, something you could never do in Boston. I bet you that you heal faster too,” she turned her head to the side, trying to figure it out and Derek squirmed a little in his seat. “You’re here for the murders aren’t you. You and your pack? The guy from earlier – your new alpha, right?”

 

Derek eyebrows rose up in shock, but his face stayed cool. Felicity grinned and leaned forward. “Your eyebrows give you away Hale. Also you growling at me for answers, big sign you care a lot about these murders.”

 

Derek didn’t move a muscle and Felicity continued. “It’s not just a series of murders is it? It’s something supernatural turning people into murderers,” Felicity exclaimed putting the final pieces together.

 

Derek shoulders slumped. “If I say yes, will you just stay out of this? Please Smoak? Let the pack and I handle it.”

 

She laughed, straight up burst out laughing in his face. She got up and grabbed her purse. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “The Arrow is Starling City’s own hero. But see he works with a team,” Derek had stopped breathing. Felicity smirked. “Really a pack you could say and I’m a part of it. So I’m not staying out of anything.”

 

Felicity walked out the coffeehouse’s door and saw Dig leaning against his car door. “Nice time catching up?”

 

Felicity frowned slightly and thanked Dig as he opened the door for her. “It was enlightening.” She was lost in thought. She had shown a confident side to Derek, but really, they needed his help. If something supernatural was involved, she was in over her head. Actually, the team was in over their heads.

 

But they needed her help too. She had all the information, the police files, the access. Something that Derek was probably realizing right about now. As if right on cue, Felicity’s phone buzzed. Text from Derek. She opened it.

 

_5745 Jenkins Road. 7 p.m. Come alone._

 

She pulled at her necklace, nervously and wondered if she should tell Oliver. She couldn’t tell him about Derek and werewolves – that was Derek’s secret to tell. But deep down, keeping this from him, it felt kind of like betraying him and his trust. But this was a part of her past. Something Oliver was pretty tight lipped about as well. Sure he had let small things slip here and there, but overall, he didn’t spill secrets about his past unless they were dragged out into the open. Why should she feel an obligation to tell him every detail about her past?  

* * *

 

 

“What time are you coming to the foundry?” Oliver asked softly into the phone. Felicity, after leaving the crime scene, had gone home and collected all her data on the murders. Now she was driving to the address Derek had texted.

 

This time a mother had killed her baby, drowning her in a bathtub. The mother was heartbroken, an absolute mess. She couldn’t even form coherent sentences. Lance had the room cleared and Felicity drew some blood from the mother with her permission and sent it over to Caitlin. She also asked her for a list of everyone she has spoken to in the past 24 hours.

 

“I’ve got something to do before I head over there. I should be there by nine, maybe nine-thirty,” Felicity replied into her Bluetooth as she turned onto Jenkins Road.

 

Oliver was silent. She heard someone, most likely Roy, yell something in the background. “Okay, that’s fine. We’re just going to patrol for a bit once the sun goes down,” Oliver lowered his voice. “Roy needs it today. He’s been on edge all afternoon and no amount of training is working it out.”

 

Felicity felt guilty. Roy’s been having issues ever since he found out about what happened during his mirakuru rage. It was the thing that triggered his dreams about Sara. She should be focusing all her efforts onto her team, helping them. Oliver had enough of his plate, with Queen Consolidated, Dig taking the back seat at night, Roy’s anger issues, Laurel wanting to play hero and now her past coming back into light. She let out the breath she was holding. “I’ll connect to the comms when I get in tonight,” She paused. “You’re a good man Oliver Queen.”

 

She could hear his smile as she pulled into a parking space outside of an abandoned warehouse. “Only because of your unwavering belief in me Felicity Smoak. I’ll see you later.”

 

He hung up leaving her surprised and shocked by his honesty. She knew she had a big influence on the Arrow, hell she and Dig were the only people who could stand up to him and come out unscathed, but that response, that response sounded like one of love. Felicity shook her head. A relationship was not a possibility. Oliver has made himself more than clear on that topic. She grabbed her bag, tablet and files and walked up the warehouse front.

 

She knew Derek would be in there, she could still feel him, despite them no longer being “pack.” She knew the alpha would be there – the one with the tattoo. But how many more werewolves?

 

Felicity knocked on the door, wondering if they had heard her car pull in. She expected Derek to open the door, but instead a tall lanky guy with spiked hair opens the door. He also looked to be about 19, maybe 20. He had big brown eyes and his skin was dotted with moles. He was wearing a Ramones vintage shirt with a plaid button down thrown over it. She could hear arguing going on behind him. She looked beyond his shoulders and saw Derek and the alpha in a heated discussion.

 

“So,” He leaned against the doorway grinning. “You must be Felicity.”

 

Felicity smiled at the young man, before looking behind him. She saw a short Asian girl intercept the argument and try to calm the alpha down, which seemed to work. Then there was a red head girl sitting on the table, staring at her curiously. Those were the only people Felicity could see from her angle. All of them seemed young – early 20s for sure. Felicity put her focus back on the guy standing in front of her and smiled, “Yup. That’s me. Unless you’re waiting for another blonde? So, can I come in?”

 

“Yeah sure, of course. I’m Stiles by the way,” He leaned over and whispered, “But first, I got to ask: how did you really know Derek back then? He says you two were good friends, but let’s be honest, Mr. Sourwolf is the worst at making friends…”

 

Felicity smiled at the kid’s rambling. Derek had noticed her standing outside talking to Stiles and came over. He pushed Stiles out of the doorway and Stiles yelled out hey, but Derek didn’t seem to care. “Are you kidding me Stiles? It’s like 50 degrees outside. Let her in.”

 

Felicity blushed at Derek’s antics, reminded about how overprotective he was of her in college. Derek noticed the goose bumps on her arm and shrugged his leather jacket off, wrapping it around her arms. She looked around and every single eye in the room was on her. There were two more “pack members” she hadn’t seen standing in the corner. Two women – well a brunette girl and then a darker skinned woman with claw scars across her neck. There were some cots, and a few sleeping bags dispersed through the room.

 

Felicity shifted uncomfortably before deciding to break the ice. “Nice cozy place you guys have here.”

 

Stiles chuckled. “It’s the only place the Ashord pack was willing to give for coming into their territory on such short notice.”

 

Felicity nodded. The alpha took a step forward and Felicity instinctively took a step backward into Derek. The young man looked taken aback by her action. “I’m Scott McCall,” He held out his hand.

 

“Felicity Smoak,” She took his hand tentatively. “It’s nice to see you’re introducing yourself now. Instead of creepily standing outside windows scaring people. You know it only happened once, but more than once can be construed as stalking and I don’t deal well with stalkers… I mean…”

 

“Smoak,” Derek said breaking her ramble. Scott’s eyes had widened during her rant.

 

Felicity slammed her hand against her mouth, stopping her ramble. Derek chuckled, causing every single person in the room to do a double take. “She rambles when she’s nervous, or excited, or scared – basically all the time.”

 

Felicity spins around and pokes a finger into his chest. “She is right here!”

 

Stiles came rushing forward and sticks his hand out. “Stiles. But you already knew that. Last name is Stillinski. So Scott is our alpha. You might have guess that. Sorry about his creepiness earlier. He thought you were whatever supernatural creature we were after and you had Derek under some spell or something. Probably because Derek failed to mention you or give any back-story prior to bailing on a pack meeting,” Stiles turned to Derek mid-sentence. “One we’re still waiting on!” He then turned back to Felicity, “So I’m the human of the pack. Kind of. Emissary in training. Long story.”

 

Stiles was grinning so hard, like a kid in the candy store. He pointed to the redhead. “That’s Lydia. She’s a banshee. Harbinger of death and all.”

 

Lydia raised an eyebrow at Stiles’ antics. Felicity’s was shocked. So they weren’t all werewolves. He then pointed to the Asian girl. “Kira – she’s a kitsune. Fox. She can do some badass things with electricity.” Kira waved shyly.

 

Stiles continued and pointed to the brunette young girl. “Malia Hale. Derek’s cousin actually. She’s a were-coyote. And finally-”

 

The dark skin girl stepped forward. She had an air of badass to her, like Sara used to, Felicity noticed. Derek had tensed up, Felicity noticed. “I’m Braedon. Also a human. So how is it that you know Derek?”

 

Felicity’s eyes widened. This girl was acting like a girlfriend. But Derek never mentioned a girlfriend. But he didn’t owe it to her, she reminded herself. They had only eight months together.

 

“Um, we’re old friends,” Felicity lied. She’s pretty sure the werewolves in the room heard it.

 

Lydia, the redhead snorted. “They used to fuck, big deal.” Derek shot Lydia a dirty look. “Can we please move onto trying to identify this killer?” 

 

Felicity blushed and grabbed her tablet and went over to the table Lydia was leaning against.

 

“Agreed. So nice to meet everyone. Derek must have filled you in on why I’m here,” Felicity attached in her tablet to a keyboard and starts it up.

 

She pulls out files she has on the current murders and lays them out. “So I work with The Arrow. And we’ve been following these murders – there have been nine now to date in starling city. All the information is in those files. The only connecting factor is each of the murderers had a high dose of oxytocin in their blood and the victims seem to be loved ones.”

 

The pack had gathered around the table and was looking at the files she had pulled out.

 

“Oxytocin. That sounds familiar. I’ve read about something like that in the bestiary,” Lydia said grabbing a book and flipping through the pages. Felicity snuck a glance, but noticed it was all in Latin.

 

 “Okay, while she figures out the creature doing this. I was thinking on the drive over here, there has to be a pattern, or some similar cases elsewhere,” Felicity explained.

 

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I can call my dad,” He turned to Felicity. “He’s a sheriff and ask him to look into some police files of surrounding cities.”  

 

Felicity tilted her head to the side and smiled. “What do you think I do for the Arrow Stiles?”

 

“Um. Sidekick?” Stiles threw out there. Felicity snorted in amusement. She logged into the tablet and began hacking the FBI’s database. Her fingers flying across the attached keyboard. She felt someone hovering behind her.

 

“Are you seeing this?” Stiles exclaimed. Everyone looked at him confused. Stiles pointed to the tablet in front of Felicity. “She’s hacking into the FBI’s database, like super fast.”

 

“Yeah, don’t get on her bad side. Apparently she like putting people on no fly lists,” Derek said sarcastically.

 

Felicity jerked her head around, “Two people. That’s it. And both of them deserved it.”

 

Stiles mouth dropped open. “I think I love you,” he said dreamily.

 

The alpha, Scott laughed. “Dude, your girlfriend is right there,” Scott ushered to Malia.

 

Malia narrowed her eyes slightly at Felicity before Stiles ran over and whispered something to her.

 

Felicity was focused on the task in front of her. She pulled up similar murders happening in three surrounding towns. This time she felt Derek behind her. Her back was tingling with his proximity. “Interesting pack you have here Hale,” Felicity stated as she pulled up a map of California. “Okay, so these three cities here surrounding Starling, have had similar murder cases. The surround the city in a triangle, like Starling was the last target.”

 

“Siren,” Lydia whispered. She jumped up and brought the book over. “It’s a Siren.”

 

“Here!” Lydia points to a point in the book and begins reading, “By using a sort of venom gland in their mouths, Sirens can infect people with a large dose of the oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. Victims with this much of the hormone in their system experience an intense sense of eurphoria and love to the creature that extends beyond just physical or sexual realms. They truly love the creature to their cores and do whatever the creature says as an act of love and devotion. This usually includes violent and deadly requests and the acts are usually perpetrated against those the victim loved before being infected. One these acts of violence are enacted, the siren gets bored and vanishes, leaving the victims confused and emotionally broken.”

 

Felicity nods. “That all matches the descriptions of the current murders. So how to we stop it?”

 

“That’s the hard part,” Lydia sighed. She pointed to a picture, “See, that’s a siren in its true form.” The picture was ugly. So that means the creature should be easy to spot, Felicity guessed.

 

Then Lydia continued, “But it can take any form, usually transforming into a person that matches someone’s desire, whether it be a lover, friend, child, anything.”

 

“So it could be anybody?” Malia asked.

 

Lydia nodded. “It can read minds, shape shift and turn anyone into a murderer.”

 

Scott shook his head. “Okay, but it has to have a weakness. Right?”

 

“It’s own poison. You have to stab it with a bronze dagger coated in the blood of someone under its spell. That’s how we kill it,” Lydia closed the book, and pressed her fingers on the bridge of her nose. “It’s going to kill again tomorrow. I can feel it.”

 

“Ugh, for once, I would like to go after a supernatural creature that isn’t the hard to kill,” Stiles said falling back onto the couch. “Is that too much to ask?”

 

Braedon stepped forward. “So if we can figure out its next target, we can kill it.”

 

Felicity sat back as the pack started to argue about how to find the Siren. She grabbed her tablet and quietly packed up her files. She helped the pack and she figured they could handle this.

 

“Leaving already?” Derek asked, making her jump. Felicity turned around and shrugged.

 

“Seems like you all have a lot to figure out,” Felicity tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She heard Braedon arguing with Stiles on the best way to set a trap. She nodded her head toward Braedon. “Braedon seems nice. Pretty too, like really pretty. And kind of super badasss,” She hoped she didn’t sound as bitter as she felt.

 

Derek stepped closed to her. “It’s not… we’re not together. We used to be. It’s complicated.”

 

Felicity smiled lightly, most of it fake. “Derek, you don’t owe me anything, okay? You don’t have to lie.” A part of her was still in love with 22-year-old Derek. Derek furrowed his eyebrows at her.

 

“I’ve got to go. I have my own team to get back to,” She felt her voice crack. “Figure out how to fill them in on all of this.”

 

Derek nodded his head slowly. He trusted her to know what to tell her team and what not to tell them.

 

“Yeah, I guess you do. New pack and all,” He sounded sad. He tentatively said, “Stay safe. I’ll call you?” There was an uncertainty to his statement, as if she could say no. 

 

Felicity had turned around and opened the door. She couldn’t do this with him. The feelings she had for him had been buried for years, and being around him brought them bubbling to the surface.

 

“I think it’s better that you don’t,” Felicity let out so softly that no human ears could’ve heard her. But she knew he did. She walked quickly, almost to a jogging speed to her car, and got in.

 

It was only when she was driving away, she felt that her cheeks were wet. She wiped them angrily away. Crap, so how was she supposed to explain all of this to Team Arrow?


End file.
